NTSB Makes GE RJ Engine Recommendations

The National Transportation Safety Board issued recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration to address a safety concern raised by two engine failures on Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200 aircraft. A flaw during the manufacturing process for fan blades led to the two engine failures, and the board wants procedures set up to remove these blades before another incident occurs. A companion recommendation was sent to the Canadian government.
In both instances - a July 27, 2006 engine failure on an Air Nostrum CRJ shortly after takeoff from Barcelona, Spain, and a May 24, 2007 engine failure on an Atlantic Southeast airlines CRJ while in cruise flight from Syracuse to Atlanta - a fan blade on a General Electric CF34-3B1 turbofan engine fractured, causing a loud bang, severe vibration and in one case an engine fire. Both flight crews declared emergencies and landed safely with no injuries.
Examination of the blades showed that they failed owing to a material defect introduced during the manufacturing process. The fan blades were manufactured by Teleflex Aerospace Manufacturing Group, located in Mexico. Teleflex has manufactured more than 28,000 of these blades.
"We are issuing this recommendation because we consider the safety risk associated with this condition to be unacceptably high," NTSB Chair Mark V. Rosenker, who added the ASA fan blade failed after 4,717 cycles and 5,845 hours, which is very early in a blade's service life, the Board said.